


The Winning Basket

by heckinamanda



Category: Andi Mack (TV)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, and havin FEELINGS, confession fic, have some BOYS, playin BASKETBALL
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-15
Updated: 2018-10-15
Packaged: 2019-08-02 09:25:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16302536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heckinamanda/pseuds/heckinamanda
Summary: Cyrus attends one of TJ’s basketball games, where he finally wants to tell him how he feels.





	The Winning Basket

**Author's Note:**

> !!! this fic was written in exchange with @1302dillywomps (on tumblr) I hope you enjoy it!! it was so much fun to write and talk to you about, I would 100% do this again!!

The sound of shoes squeaking and basketballs bouncing on the gym floor was comfortingly familiar to Cyrus. Admittedly he isn’t a sports guy, but he’s warmed up a lot to basketball because of Buffy and TJ. Speaking of the latter, he was warming up with his teammates when Cyrus walked in.

“Underdog! Over here!” TJ paused his stretching to call out to him.

He happily jogged over. “Hey!”

“You made it.” TJ grinned.

“Of course I did. Do I ever miss a game?”

“No,” TJ said sheepishly, tugging on the drawstrings of his basketball hoodie. “Are we going to The Spoon afterwards?”

Cyrus smiled at him. “Always.”

“Keep stretching, Kippen!” Coach Purcell called TJ out, breaking the boys out of their moment.

“You got it, coach!” TJ resumed his warmups. “Sorry. We’ll talk afterwards, okay?”

“Okay,” hugging him good luck crossed Cyrus’ mind. Or kissing him on the cheek. Or even just a high five. But he pushed those thoughts down. “Good luck out there!”

They smiled at each other before Cyrus went to sit on the bleachers. Occasionally, TJ would look over and make faces at him when coach Purcell was talking. Sometimes he’d stick his tongue out, or roll his eyes in a cute way, or—

“Hey, did I miss anything?” Buffy sat down next to him, effectively breaking him out of his thoughts.

“Nope, they’re still warming up,” he gestured to the team. “TJ will be glad to see that you made it this week.”

“I was with my mom last time, he knows that,” she looked at Cyrus. “And I don’t think it hurt him. He’d only be upset if you didn’t show up.”

He crinkled his nose. “What does that mean?”

“Nothing,” she shrugged. “Nothing that isn’t obvious already, at least.”

He knows what she’s implying. But he’s not gonna get his hopes up for TJ to like him back, even if they always hang out together. And sometimes sit closer than necessary. And put their arms around each other. And share things that they don’t tell anyone else.

 _Alright,_ maybe his hopes are already up a little bit. But he’s trying to curb them.

As he’s thinking about his feelings for TJ, the boy comes running towards them, hoodie in hand.

“Here, keep this warm for me,” he tossed it at Cyrus before noticing Buffy sitting next to him. “Hey, Buffy!”

Buffy waved at him. He shot one last grin towards Cyrus before running over to his team to get into position.

Cyrus looked down at the hoodie and smiled. He gave it to him every game before going to play, it was almost a tradition at this point, but neither of them would say it. They always acted like it was some random thing each time.

A couple of minutes into the game Cyrus realized that he was fiddling with the drawstrings like TJ was earlier. He stopped for a moment to consider putting it on. He did last week and TJ didn’t mention it, but Buffy is here and he knows that she would.

He decided that it was worth it and slipped it on over his shirt. Buffy instantly looked at him with a quirked eyebrow.

“What? It’s cold.”

“Totally freezing,” she said with an eye roll.

He started discreetly hugging himself in an attempt to take in the warmth that TJ left in the hoodie when Buffy shot him another look.

“It’s _cold,_ ” he reiterated.

Buffy had one last eye roll before they continued watching TJ play. To Cyrus he seemed to be doing well, but he wasn’t actually sure.

In fact, TJ seemed frustrated at himself after some kid from the other team snatched the ball away from him. So when he accidentally caught Cyrus’ eye, the smaller boy gave him a comforting smile and big thumbs up, making TJ’s lips turn up into a soft smile.

“I can’t believe you two can be affectionate with each other from across a room,” Buffy muttered.

Cyrus nudged her with his shoulder. “I’m just trying to keep him calm.”

“Something you do quite easily.”

“Well, yeah,” he shrugged confidently. “It’s kind of my thing.”

Anytime TJ got frustrated, he would take a breath and look at Cyrus. And each time he would give him a certain look to tell him it’s alright, then TJ would get his head back in the game.

It seemed to help out his playing as far as Cyrus could tell. At some point TJ scored his first basket of the game then turned around to him with a grin. It was like he was scoring to make Cyrus proud.

Buffy noticed Cyrus staring fondly at TJ and made a barfing noise.

He blushed. “What? I’m invested in the game.”

“Because you’re just _so_ invested in basketball.”

He ignored her sarcastic remark and continued watching TJ play. He did start zoning out a little before halftime started, but TJ running over to them pulled him back down.

“Hey,” he huffed. “How are we looking out there?”

“You look really great,” Cyrus said without thinking.

“I think he meant the team,” Buffy whispered.

“Oh, yeah I mean—yeah of course, the team! They look great, I meant the team looked great—the playing… Of the team.” Cyrus blushed profusely. He thought that TJ was blushing too, but his face could’ve been red from running around.

Buffy ignored their awkwardness. “You guys are doing well. Just make sure to win this one.”

“We’re trying,” TJ took a swig from his water bottle. “I should get back over there. Team huddle and stuff.”

Cyrus waved him off as he jogged back to his team. “Did I mess that one up?”

“Only a little,” she laughed.

He groaned as he put his head in his hands.

She moved his hands. “If it’s any consolation, he didn’t seem bothered by it.”

He looked up at TJ who was huddled up with his team. When they broke up their huddle to start the second half, he winked at Cyrus, then he caught him shake his head at himself as if he were asking _why did I do that?_

That made Cyrus thing that they could be on the same page with their feelings. There has to be _some_ chance that TJ likes him back, and tonight he’ll find out.

 _If TJ scores the winning basket,_ he thought to himself, _I’ll tell him how I feel._

He decided to make this wager with himself. Worst case scenario to him is that they win and TJ doesn’t like him back. Best case scenario to him is that they lose and no one has to know about this ever!

But by the way this half is going, he had no idea about how the game was going to end. Both teams are playing really well, scoring one after the other, ending up tied near the end of the game.

“Oh no,” Buffy grabbed Cyrus’ arm. She was incredibly invested. “They’re so close!”

“I know,” Cyrus stressed. There was only half a minute left on the clock and they still had to score another basket to win.

TJ grabbed the ball from the other team.

 _Oh boy,_ Cyrus thought.

He passed it to his teammate, who faked out a kid on the opposite team.

 _Oh no,_ his heart was racing.

TJ ran up the line and his teammate passed it back to him.

 _I’m gonna have to tell him,_ he took a deep breath.

And TJ took a shot.

Everything suddenly seemed to go in slow motion for Cyrus. His heart was pounding, partially from being scared to tell TJ the truth and partially from being excited for him as everyone watched the basketball fall through the hoop.

The sound of it bouncing on the gym floor was quickly drowned out by cheering from their school. Buffy and Cyrus seemed to be yelling the loudest.

The other team tried to recover and score within the last few seconds, but it was to no avail. The buzzer sounded around the room, signaling the end of the game.

The first thing TJ did was run over to a grinning Cyrus, picking him up and twirling him around. “We won!”

“You won!” Cyrus squeezed him. TJ gently put him down and they stared at each other awkwardly. _It’s time._ “TJ, I have to tell you something.”

“Yeah?” TJ shouted over the noise.

“I—I’m—” he grabbed the drawstrings on the hoodie to calm himself. “I like you, a lot. And not just as a friend.”

“I can’t believe this,” his heart sunk when TJ started laughing. “I didn’t think this night could get any better!”

His heart rose again when TJ pulled him back into another hug.

“I like you too,” TJ continued.

Cyrus pulled back from the hug to see TJ wearing the same grin that he was. He wanted nothing more than to kiss him right now. So, on his current emotional high, he asked him. “Can I kiss you?”

“Yes—” Before TJ could say anything else, he pulled him in for a kiss. He wasn’t even sure if they were doing it right, but it didn’t matter. _He was kissing TJ._ It was soft and comforting, everything it should be.

“Kippen!” They broke apart to look at TJ’s teammate. “We’re celebrating with pizza after this! You coming?”

“Actually,” he put his arm around Cyrus, who instinctively leaned into him. “I’m headed to The Spoon.”


End file.
